Whoooooshhhhhhhhh.
The racing genre has its share of different sub-genres. From off road racing, jet skis, and more. In one corner is the sci-fi, defy gravity, racers the likes of F-Zero and Wipeout. They have pretty much dominated the small corner they claim, but sometimes we get a new contender and this time it’s Redout, and it’s one that racer fan definitely deserve to check out and it has some interesting new, if minor, twists to the genre.
Redout literally
Redout released last year for the PC and now it’s finally time for console players to get their hands on this fast and slick racer. The first thing that stuck out to me was the wonderfully colorful visuals. The tracks are twisting and turning, with various weather effects and the racing crafts themselves have a nice polygonal look, while still showcasing nice textures and particle effects throughout when smashing against another racer. It’s hard to accurately describe it, but it feels like a mixture of old and new, but in subtle ways. Make no mistake, this racer is beautiful and fast.
MSRP: $39.99
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
Multiplayer: 1-6 online
How long to beat: 5+ hours
Twists, turns, and turbo boosts are no stranger to the genre. Racers go from time trails, to tournaments, and even boss battle racers. There are plenty of race track options, each with a unique theme, like lava, desert, and artic. As each racer is finished funds are added which can be used to buy new ships, new power ups, and new passive abilities. Of those only two can be equipped at a time. Where the game adds just a little bit of flavor to mixing up the racers is the redouts, which turn the screen red. It’s the reverse of what most people refer to as a blackout. Using the right control stick left and right helps strafing with the rather large and sudden turns. For upside down moments or huge dips the control stick needs to be pushed up or down or red out can occur, which also slows players down. If the screen turns red, pay attention. While cruising down the large tracks at insanely fast speeds while listening to the electronic soundtrack is a zen-like arcade experience, don’t go in expecting to just hit the gas and steer, it takes a bit more finesse.
Aside from the career mode there is also the standard arcade selection of quick track picks along with an online mode. Suitable ways to play the tracks as they are unlocked or with other players. While the online mode seemed to function just fine in my limited time with it, I did notice it took a while to find players so the online community might not be that large at the moment. Once grouped with players though, a matchmaking service can start to find others, but every time I tried this, I got a soft lock and booted back to the Xbox home system, which I hope can be fixed.
Newcomers with spunk
Redout doesn’t do much new for the genre aside from an interesting twist with the redout feature. Though it doesn’t have to re-invent the wheel but simply give use their take on the ultimate speed test. The online issue is a shame, and the only other issue I ran into was on some tracks and depending on how many racers are on screen, the framerate would falter before getting back to its smooth performance. In a game like this that’s a big blunder and extremely noticeable, but it doesn’t break the game and it’s workable. It just sticks out like a complete sore thumb in an otherwise solid package. For the price of entry, Redout sticks out as a great entry in the futuristic racing genre.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.